Meant to Be
by Seikatsu32
Summary: Abel (pronounced like able) is an average guy hoping to get an average job, preferably without pokemon involved. However they key to getting that job involves taking one of three quests, and so he chooses the easiest one. Due to certain events however, he will have to change his priorities. Does he have it in him to be a hero? some mild language, OC
1. Chapter 1

_Hi I am uploading an old story here, I am not really sure where I am going with this one so it is not as well thought through as Question. I do not own anything._

Chapter one – Egg

Today was the start of the beginning of my life. That is so cliché, but in this case I think it fits. Once a year trainers come to Pallet City to register for one of four competitions. The minimum requirements are turning sixteen that year, basic schooling, which just means that you have been in school up to that point, and a registration form that you fill out once you get there.

The day I turned sixteen I was so excited. That meant in four weeks, the closest time for registration, I could get out. My home life isn't horrible, but I never felt happy there. My father is an alcoholic. He's not abusive, just absent. My mom is amazing, but very stressed out and not happy with the current conditions. This leads to a very tense atmosphere. Best leave while the going is good.

On September 10th of that year I was finally able to compete in Pokemon. There are different kinds of journeys available. The most popular is the "Master Journey." It was made popular by Ash Ketchem reality show. The basic idea was to catch as many pokemon as you can and win eight badges to be able to compete in the league. This is very popular because the only limitation you have is the maximum amount of pokemon you are allowed to carry at a time. The second most popular, especially with the girls, is the contest shows. People travel to different contests competing for ribbons. It is half beauty pageant and half battling. As I said, _very_ popular with the girls.

Now the third type is much like the "Master Journey" but much more challenging. In this journey you are limited to one or two types of pokemon. For example ice and rock pokemon. Or even just ice. This challenge, affectionately known as the "element challenge" is judged as the most extreme. People who take this one are looking for careers pokemon battling and want to specialize. Typically these people become gym leaders and lifetime battlers. Personally this didn't appeal to me because you get a type based on your personality and characteristics, and that didn't seem very fun. Not only your pokemon are judged, but you as a person are as well.

The last challenge is called the Egg Quest. Personally I think this is by far the most challenging. You start out with an egg and you have to raise it to a certain level before getting another egg and doing the same thing over. The idea with this one is you learn how to care for pokemon at all stages of life and develop a much deeper bond than that of any of the others. However it can be harder to judge. How can you tell who raised a better pokemon? Like people every pokemon is different, so a charzard one kid raised might not be as battle oriented as the other person's but might be a lot smarter. That's why there is just a pass/ fail system in place. If you seem to raise a happy healthy pokemon then you pass for that individual pokemon. This quest is much more subjective, so is not very popular.

Now when most people start these log journals they tell about their reasons for going. They usually seem to be along the lines of "I wanna see the world," or "I need to prove myself," or something of that nature. Now my reason is not so naive or childish. My reason is this: I need a job. The best way to move forward in this world is to apply for one of the quests from ages 16-20. Then depending on your results a whole network of jobs are available to you. For me, I'm aiming for pharmaceutical health care. Yeah, yeah, I hear your scoffing. It's not a glorious profession like an astronaut or pokemon professor, but I think it is interesting. The base salary isn't bad either. My plan is to apply for the egg quest, raise some plant pokemon that is commonly used for health care, and be done. Most people doing the egg quest have dozens that they raise as they travel, but one seems fine for me. I don't want fame or fortune, I want stability. Boring I know, you aren't the first to tell me so shut up already.

Anyways now I completed my intro to this stupid journal thing I will start with day one. This is the day I finally can get out of the house and start my independent life.

* * *

When I woke up it was still dark. I have an amazing internal alarm clock that never fails. If I tell myself to wake at 6:00am, then I wake up at 5:45am without any outside stimulus. As you can see my clock is perpetually fifteen minutes early, so I adjust. Today I set my internal alarm to 6:15 so at 6:00 I rolled out of bed.

"Why do they make the meeting time so damn early?" I am not a morning person.

I dragged my protesting body away from my nice warm, comfortable, temping…..ok ok I need to get in the shower now or I'll go straight back to bed.

"Abel, you up? It's a wonderful day, clear skies and warm weather." my mom was already up with breakfast waiting.

"Don't pep talk me so early. Didn't you sleep at all last night?" I muttered conversationally to her. Look at me and my people skills.

"I was on call, so I just came home from work. Your gratitude for breakfast is warming," my mom snarked back. I got my attitude from her. She was a midwife. Once or twice a week she was on call, which meant that she had to be prepared to go in to work at any time if someone was delivering.

"Dad up?" might as well get this out of the way quickly.

My mother's face closed down. "No he was up all night drinking, so he probably won't be up until four or five this evening. I'm so sorry Abel, I told him you were leaving today, but he still did it. One of these days he's going to look back and see how much he's missed of your life." The tension in the room escalated, "Do you want me to kick him to get him up so you can say good bye?" Good old gentle mom.

"Nah, I'll call him some time later. I not bothered." For some reason this made my mom look even more sad. Ok emotional avoidance time, Plan A: "I love you mom, thanks for breakfast!" my voice came out a little desperate.

Her face warmed up, "I love you too sweetie, I'm so proud of you." She hugged me hard.

I hugged her back warmly, "Thanks." That was a close one. Whenever my mom talked too much about my father it always ended up with lots of tears and lots of apologies for his absent behavior.

Breakfast was very good. My mood improved. Luckily I had inherited my mom's cooking skills along with her attitude. I wouldn't go hungry if I had the essentials. However while I had inherited my mom's inner attributes, I had taken my dad's outer ones. I looked almost exactly like he did when he was my age, except for the eyes. I was about 5'8'' and 150lbs. I swam a lot so while I did have muscle, it wasn't obvious through my clothes. I suspected I would grow a few more inches as I hit 18, or at least I hoped. I had blondish brown hair, too light to be brown but too dark to be true blond. My one distinguishing feature that I was stupidly proud of was my eyes. They were a very, very, light hazel that seemed to almost look yellow in some lights. Wolf Boy was my elementary school nickname, one that I had loved. Not that I am vain or anything. I just figured that I should point out the basics.

After breakfast I packed up all my stuff that I had prepared the night before. It was an army duffel bag that my dad had from his air force days. It was massive and fit a sleeping bag, clothes, small pot and a mini saucepan, and other medical and food oriented supplies. However it was bloody heavy. I had also bought new hiking boots that didn't occur to me to break in until now. Smart move. The first week was going to kill me.

Then an idea popped into my head. Whoever said I had to WALK everywhere? That was the way movie star Ash Ketchem did it in his show and it became a trend, but that didn't mean I had to do it. Sometimes I amaze myself with my brilliance…

I hauled the bag onto my back in a much better mood. My mom was sitting by the door watching me silently with a sad expression on her face. "I am going to miss you so much sweet heart. Make sure to call often and if you ever need any help I will drop everything and go." Her voice wavered slightly, but she suddenly put on a mocking expression, "And if you call crying for your mommy to pick you up I will and won't judge you for it." She really knew how to make a guy feel loved.

I grimaced at her, "I love you mom." Then I hugged her and opened the door. The lab was a five minute walk from home. Suddenly I was yanked from behind, with my center of gravity already compromised due to the heavy bag, I almost toppled over. I jerked my head around angrily, "What? You almost killed me!" My mom grabbed my face and gave me a big kiss.

"Did you really think you could leave without giving your mother a good bye kiss?"

"Obviously not. Go to bed mom, you haven't slept at all, it's making you weirder than normal." Mothers could be so embarrassing sometimes. She gave me a watery grin and gave me a gentle shove which sent me stumbling down the front stairs. God damn this stupid bag.

The walk was uneventful and I got there in good time. The crowd wasn't too bad yet – there were only four others waiting outside the lab. Most seemed to have brought their parents and family. I am glad I told mom not to come, I didn't want her to make some stupid comment that would humiliate me.

Minutes passed and more and more people arrived. The crowd swelled to 30 people plus their families. Finally Professor Oak III exited the lab. He stood on a podium and had a microphone in his hand.

"Hello everyone! Congratulations on entering one of the finest pokemon expedition tournaments in the world. Trainers please file into the lab in an orderly fashion, parents and family please wait outside or the lab will be too crowded. When we get inside we will form four groups. I want the master questers and pokemon contesters in the main waiting room where you will be briefed. The elemental trainers move off to the right and go to my office. I will arrive shortly to match you to your element. The egg breeders please move to the hatchery. The remaining trainers who haven't come to a decision go to Devin, my assistant's office. He will council you and help with your decision. Once you have been briefed, please come to the main waiting room where I will hand out Pokedexs and licenses. Please proceed to your desired room." He hopped off his stadium and beckoned us all in.

I nervously climbed the stairs trying not to glance around me to see what the other kids were doing or thinking. Yeah I like to try to play the cool guy. Most the time it doesn't work. Everyone was nervous when faced with this decision because it defines what you learn and achieve.

Upon entering I moved to the left following the sign that said HATCHERY in big pink letters. Pink? In a lab? That didn't seem very professional or scientific. I wasn't surprised that there were only five of us in the end. As I said before the Master quest is by far the most popular. Personally I think it is the easiest.

I entered through huge double door and looked around. The hatchery was enormous! There were computers and monitoring equipment everywhere with eggs in nests, eggs in water, eggs in steam filled boxes, and eggs in freezers plus dozens of other combinations. Chanceys filled the room as well, some with eggs in their pouches too. A girl gasped in amazement, I felt like echoing her. I had never been inside the lab before and the size was impressive.

"Good morning, I'm Professor Gidion," the voice echoed around the room and made me jump. I am so cool.

"I am in charge of this lab's hatching and raising program." He was an elderly man who walked with a pronounced limp. His smile was so huge it looked painful. "It is good to see this year a few more brave contenders try out. This section always gets the fewest trainers because of the difficulties and responsibilities of raising a pokemon from birth. But most people forget that when there are hardships there are rewards too."

Professor Gidion puffed himself up and looked like he was about to make a profound speech. I sighed, looks like we might be here a while. "An egg trained pokemon is much more loyal and strong than a caught one. They tend to be smarter and can communicate with their trainer easier. Also, if raised correctly they will love you unconditionally and be your partner for life. Even the most dangerous pokemon will risk his/her life for their trainer." He started pacing, "The relationship however has to be mutual. You must properly care and train your pokemon to your best abilities and love it like it was your own child. It is a long and difficult process, for even an egg must be kept warm or cold according to the species. Some pokemon don't eat certain foods or are just picky. You will be responsible for your Pokémon's health and survival. Luckily your pokedex will help with most of it and there are certain learning centers in every city that you can go to for help." He grinned at us, "You will probably be wishing for patience half the time and laughing the other half."

Finally the old geezer seemed to take a breath. A girl in a yellow sundress raised her hand, "Do we get to choose our first egg or will we just be given one?" I looked up, that was a good question. If I got a pokemon that wouldn't benefit me straight away I would end up having to raise two pokemon not just the single as I planned.

Prof. Gidion looked at her kindly, "Unfortunately you don't get to choose your first one. You will be given an easy pokemon to raise since it is your first time. This is another one of the more unpopular reasons why so few trainers choose this section. We don't want to give a new trainer a difficult pokemon as their first just to have that pokemon suffer due to his or her inexperience. Even if you do have experience raising pokemon there are no exceptions," he glanced quickly at a boy who seemed about to speak. The boy deflated.

"Then what is our pokemon?" I asked, this could make my journey way longer than I planned.

He grinned at me obviously excited, "I'm sure you will all love this one, it is a pretty rare pokemon!" He hobbled over to a group of ten eggs in a corner of the room. "These are your new pokemon!" Great, but what are they? This guy's enthusiasm was wearing on my nerves.

"Those are Bulbasaur eggs!" The boy who had experience with raising pokemon cheered. Dweeb. But if he was right then I was saved. Bulbasaur's spores have many medicinal purposes. Raising a Bulbasaur would look good on a resume to any health care college. I sighed with relief.

"Bulbasaur is a great pokemon!" the dweeby boy swung at me mistaking my sigh as one of disappointment. I held up my hands in surrender, "Dude chill, I was just relieved it wasn't a Rattata or something." That seemed to mollify him. He was a small guy who verged on girly. Obviously he developed a temper to compensate.

"Okay everyone before I hand out eggs I will explain the rules." Prof. Gidion took control of the situation to my relief. I don't like confrontations.

"Now you are only allowed to have one egg at a time. As soon as that egg hatches you are free to get another, but I wouldn't recommend that. I think you should devote your sole attention on one pokemon at a time." He looked around at us seriously, "Also when you think that your pokemon is ready you and your pokemon will be tested. You can choose to be tested on fighting skills, brains, trust and accumulative. The goal is to have three pokemon that can pass the accumulative portion with over 185 points. There is a total of 190 points. Doing that is the equivalent of getting into the league."

"Wait hold up. You need THREE pokemon to pass? What if you just had one?" I panicked.

"Then it would be the same as someone in the master quest not making it to the league. Also three is MINIMUM. Most serious people have dozens of pokemon they raise. Also keep in mind that not all pokemon have the ability to pass all three. Even though the test is set by species some pokemon don't fit into the norm, so might not pass a section of the exam. This is more common than you think it is; only extraordinary pokemon can pass the accumulative with a 185. So don't blame yourself or the pokemon, not all pokemon can do it. The purpose of this quest is to recognize the potential in your pokemon and yourself as a breeder."

This was just great. I would have to do three pokemon _minimum._ So much for getting a head start and applying to school at the age of 17. I'm going to have to rethink my strategy.

"So we are supposed to wonder around with only eggs and baby pokemon for protection?" the girl in a sundress asked nervously.

Gidion looked up quickly, "Of course! I almost forgot! You will be assigned to a group of elemental trainers or masters. Professor Oak III will select volunteers that don't mind traveling companions. You will be required to travel with them until it has been judged you can fend for yourself."

That made all five of us tense up. We were going to be charity cases. Great. I could hardly wait to be paired up with a total stranger who would be in charge of my safety AND more importantly where we travel to. I had obviously not my research thoroughly. This is a lesson learned.

Seeing our faces he tried to placate us, "It won't be for long and who knows you might make lifelong friendships." Yeah right the chances of that are about as high as me becoming the supreme dictator and pokemon master.

"Anyways let's choose your Bulbasaur." He hurriedly changed the subject. We shuffled over to the group of eggs.

They all looked alike. Each had a leathery shell that was a pale brown. I would have thought that they would be green but apparently not. The guy with the temper quickly stepped up and ran his hand over each egg. What he was looking for, I had no idea, but apparently he found it in the seventh egg which he held up triumphantly. The rest of us looked at him blankly for a moment before remembering that we had to pick an egg too. I was third in line. When my turn came, instead of mimicking the first guy I grabbed the one farthest from me. It is what it is. I had no experience in judging good eggs from bad, so I went on luck, as fickle she might be.

When I pulled my egg close to my body I felt a strange sensation originating from my hands. It was a pulsing sensation like when you press your fingers against your throat and feel the blood pulse through you. I shuddered and almost dropped the egg. What the hell?

"Professor! There is something wrong with this egg, it's pulsing!" I couldn't keep the disgust from my voice.

Everyone looked at me, the Professor and the dweebie guy with a temper in astonishment and the other four with confusion. "You feel it? Does it feel like energy churning around in the egg?" Gidion scampered over to me. The words rushed out of his mouth so fast that he sprayed me with a fine shower of spit. Yummy.

I scrubbed my face against my shoulder angrily and answered his question with a bite, "Whatever. I thought it feels more like blood pulsing but sure, yeah. Can you make it stop? It feels like I'm holding a balloon of blood or something. It's nasty." I held out the egg towards him.

"Oh no, oh no, no, no." the professor was practically vibrating, "I can't fix it because it is perfectly natural. Every egg has that life energy, but only really sensitive people can pick up on it. I myself only feel a flutter if I concentrate. Have you ever been exposed to pokemon eggs before?"

"No this is my first time touching one." This was turning weird. Sensitive? Sensitive to what exactly? Just before I voiced that question Prof. Gidion was talking again, "Really? That is unusual. Most people who are sensitive enough to feel life force are drawn to pokemon from an early age, like Matt here." He gestured towards dweeb. "Matt found out he was sensitive when he was four and wondered over to the lab one day and we met." Gidion smiled affectionately at Matt. He turned back to me, "To have withstood the draw of Pokemon this long would mean incredible will power or a very stressful life. What is your name young man?"

"Abel Fletcher." I was getting nervous. Was this just a gentle way of telling me I was even freakier than I thought? "Umm…What does this mean? Am I going to have problems functioning in some way? I mean, is this a good thing or a bad one?" I stared down at the pulsing egg in my hands. The leathery shell felt cool, yet the pulsing felt warm and alive.

"My dear boy! If you can feel the life force as strongly as you described then this is extraordinarily good! Abel, to be sensitive means that Pokemon will be drawn to you. They will want to interact with you and you will be able to feel what they want you to. You have the potential to become a leader in pokemon relations and communications! It is remarkable to have two strong Sensors in one generation, let alone city!" Gidion was almost hysterical. Okay, now might be a good time to run from the insane egg man…

But before I could put that to action he grabbed my arm with a vice-like grip that belayed his age, "I believe you and Matt will be able to see things that most people will never be able to. I hope you travel far and put your discoveries to paper so we can experience them. I will make sure that you and Matt are put in separate groups and with people who will travel the whole world." He had a crafty gleam in his eye, "That way the likelihood of discovery increases!"

I struggled out of his grasp desperately, "I don't want to travel the globe, I want to be a doctor! Just because I have this mutant power doesn't mean my life is not my own! Give me a break!" I stomped towards the exit fuming. Shit! My day is getting crappier by the second and it wasn't even 9:00 yet! I glared down at my egg like it was all its fault. I should have just shut up and not mentioned it.

"Wait! Abel! There are still some instructions regarding pokemon care I have to give!" Professor cried desperately. I looked back to see him hobbling after me pathetically. Matt had a worried look on his face and was trying to help him one handedly as he carried his egg. The other four had shell shocked looks on their faces and were looking at me and Matt like we were freaks. My temper rose another degree, judging assholes.

"What? Hurry up I'm leaving."

"Pokeballs..." Gidion gasped, "Pokemon raised from eggs don't like pokeballs and only go in them in emergencies. So when you are raising pokemon have some place you can let them stay when you are busy with the others. It is troublesome if you have twenty pokemon following you around as you travel." This is getting gooder and gooder.

"What happens if you want to raise an onix or something?" The only other boy besides me and Matt asked.

"Then be prepared to not visit many cities." Gidion glanced at him sadly, "This is the other reason why this quest type is not very popular. Even though there is no limit of pokemon, there is still a limit to what the trainer can provide. An egg bred pokemon requires much more attention that a wild one and can get depressed if separated for too long. Most breeders end up settling down and building a ranch of some sort to accommodate their pokemon." Gidion glanced at me again, "I apologize for my excitement earlier. You don't have to travel the whole world to make discoveries, sometimes the most fascinating ones are in our own backyards. You don't have to see the world to become a Pokemon Professor. If you decide to come back to Pallet City, I will recommend you to Professor Oak III on your return." With that he turned and gestured us down the hall back the way we came.

I stood rooted to the spot in astonishment. That stupid old man completely ignored my point. I didn't aspire to be a Pokemon Professor. I shook my head, gotta cool down. He was just an eccentric old man who had no life beyond pokemon; nothing I could say would shake him of his age induced fantasies. I sighed and started down the corridor towards the others. Onto the next adventure. I haven't dreaded groups this much since the fifth grade and Snotty Brandon thought we were best friends.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, I wouldn't be writing this now. I also have a LOTR shout out but I don't own that either. _

_This is chapter 2. Thanks everyone who read the first chapter, I promise there will be some action soon._

* * *

Chapter 2: Pict

After having practiced some deep breathing exercises that my therapist taught me, I walked out to the main waiting room. It seemed like the parents were finally let inside because there was a mess of people crammed into the room, making the giant room seem small.

Everyone was talking, so the place sounded like a football game. Well maybe not like the loser's side, but defiantly like the winning team's fans. Everyone had this excited nervous energy that seemed barely contained. For some reason this calmed me down. Nothing like normal rational human behavior to put things into perspective. Sometimes predictability was soothing.

At the front of the room Professor Oak III was in an animated discussion with his assistant Devin who was sporting a lab coat. Did professors _really_ need lab coats? That was so stereotypical and corny. Like a fighter pilot with those shiny glasses. Maybe they just want to proclaim their profession because stupid working class citizens like us wouldn't _ever_ be able to recognize them for what they are. I mean it is not like they weren't on TV _every day_ or anything.

While I was waiting for Professor Oak to get his act together and realize we were all waiting for _him_ and not vice-versa, I examined my pulsing egg. At first it had seemed creepy and disgusting, but now it seemed surprisingly soothing. I wonder if that's how mothers feel when their baby first kicks…okay I did _not_ just compare myself to a pregnant woman. Anywho, the egg didn't creep me out like it did five minutes previously. In truth I was starting to get excited to have a best friend of the nonhuman variety. I wonder if my Bulbasaur would be well behaved. Maybe he or she will be kick ass and dominate the battle skills test. Or maybe I'll get a super nerd who is as smart as a human and could help me with my job as an equal. I am starting to realize what all the hype was about, raising Pokemon could be sorta cool.

The next thing I had to think about was how I was going to manage getting good qualifications for my college resume. Raising three Pokemon would be very challenging and time consuming. Did I really want to go through with all that work?

Eggo thrummed in my hands. It almost seemed like it was trying to calm me down.

I snorted, yeah right! Eggs weren't conscious of the outside world. But that did make me think about the commitment I have already taken. My mom didn't raise me to be a quitter, I will get into a good college and then a good hospital despite the road blocks. My gut filled with determination. I wasn't quitting this early in the game.

I glanced around looking at all the other kids. I wonder who I was going to be stuck with. I hoped it was someone laid back. Having to travel with a bunch of hyperactive guys sounded too much like babysitting.

Suddenly I heard someone call my name. I turned and saw Matt trot up to me grinning. Speaking of hyperactive kids…

"Isn't this so exciting! I have been waiting for this day my whole life! Aren't you glad that we got such good starting pokemon? Have you really never been around many pokemon? How is that even possible? The world _runs_ on pokemon! I mean even _plumbers_ have to work as a team with them! Why were you so angry with Professor Gideon? Did you see the amount of people here? I can't wait until we are paired up with someone and we can leave! Do you know…" my attention span was reaching its final moments. He kept going on and on, but surprisingly didn't seem to require any acknowledgement from me, so I promptly tuned him out.

Minutes dragged by and I started to get restless. My new boots were already starting to rub at my heels and my mind was starting to wander. Luckily just as I was about to start contemplating the meaning of life Professor Oak came onto the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for participating in this momentous occasion. My colleagues and I hope that you all fulfill your dreams and have unforgettable experiences. At this moment I will pass out the Pokedex which will be like an encyclopedia of pokemon care and battle. They are personalized to suit the need of each person, so please do not lose them because they are very difficult to replace. After my assistants pass these out, you can leave. However I need the Egg Breeders and the volunteers from the master quest and the elemental quest to stay behind. We will place you into groups of two or three. Thank you everyone and if you have any questions feel free to stay behind to ask me."

Anxiety gnawed at me. This could make or break my future. Well, maybe not to that extreme, but this could make or break my future happiness for the next who knows how long. Beside me Matt gave a little hiccup of excitement. Luckily it didn't seem like we would be put in the same group, there were enough volunteers to make it one to one grouping.

When I got my Pokedex I examined it curiously. Most trainers don't let others' see their Dexs' because it was very personal. The red and blue cover gleamed as I opened it.

The screen lit up and words flashed across it, **Place Finger In Identification Portal To Activate.**

I did as it said. There was a sight vibration then a sharp burning pain.

" #%$ %!" Let's just say my words were colorful enough to paint with.

I yanked my finger back and examined it. The whole pad of my finger was bloody and raw. I glanced at the screen, **Identification Found. Abel Fletcher, Age 16, Identification Number 146283966. Welcome To The Pokemon World. My You Achieve Your Dreams. Good Luck!**

This stupid piece of shit was mocking me!

Just as I was about to crush the sadistic machinery in the name of unholy justice people started screaming. Thinking the world was coming to the end, I looked up calmly and curiously. But it just seemed that everyone else had discovered the joys of owning a new Pokedex.

Professor Oak zipped back on stage flustered, "I completely forgot to warn you about the identification process! The only way that a pokedex can be registered to a specific person is by their DNA. We found this to be the least painful of all the options available to us currently. The benefit of this is a completely personal computer that only you can access. You also won't need to activate it again; it will be able to pick up your fingerprint and the oil it produces that is uniquely yours. I am extremely sorry that I didn't mention this beforehand." Professor Oak was practically bowing with his apology. I was still stuck at the part when he said this was the _least_ painful way. I dreaded to think what the other ways of identification there were.

I shoved the Pokedex into my pocket. Nothing seems to be going my way today.

* * *

The mood was comically subdued as the people filed out of the room. Many people were crying and their parents fussed over them diligently. My mom would have slapped me on the back of the head and called me a wuss if I cried. But only after she disinfected and cleaned the wound. I already missed her.

As I searched through my bag looking for Band-Aids, there was an announcement from one of the assistants calling the Eggers and the volunteers to gather near the stage. My stomach twisted again. I threw my bag over my shoulder, staggered from the weight, and made my way over to the stage.

When I got closer I recognized the four other Eggers, including Matt who was hunched over his egg rubbing it enthusiastically. I could practically hear what was going on in that brain of his. _My precioussss…_

There were four other people there. They must be the volunteers. For some reason most were examining the five of us closely with a skeptical look on their faces. I wondered if they were really volunteers or if they were pressured into the decision.

One of the volunteers was talking in a loud voice, "This is going to be so COOL! I am going to be the world best Pokemon Master and become the League Champ!" He suddenly moved in a painfully awkward fashion to produce a painfully awkward victory pose. My heart sank. If I ended up with this guy I think I might end up in prison for homicide.

One boy who I didn't recognize sighed, "You wish loser." To me it seemed like he was more exasperated with the other boy than cruel. They must know each other.

The loud boy rounded on him, "I am not a loser! One day Pict, I am going to beat you and become a great trainer. Way better than you could ever dream of! The world will come to know a new Master, Dylan Williams!" He puffed up both proudly and challengingly. He had messy dark brown hair with blue eyes. His clothing had pokemon images everywhere. He seemed like the stereotypical "Ashite."

Two words; face palm.

The other boy, who I assumed was named Pict, sighed again, this time in anger. He didn't say anything and looked away from Dylan. He seemed like one cool customer. He had on a worn brown leather jacket and faded jeans. His blonde hair was cropped short and he had greenish eyes. I could already see all the girls eyeing him, though he gave them no acknowledgement.

Professor Oak cleared his throat. I looked at him mistrustfully; I had not yet forgiven him for the Pokedex incident.

"Now due to the almost equal number from each party, I am letting the volunteers choose their teammates. I do this because these volunteers scored the highest in their exams of anyone of the 37 who arrived today. The top scorer will choose and then the next and so on and so forth. The fourth place volunteer will get two companions so he will have the most responsibility." Oak glanced at Dylan and smiled. At this Dylan puffed up again. I guess Professor Oak added that last part for his benefit.

After he said that my hopes sank. I was right, they _were_ forced to do this. No wonder they were examining us so thoroughly before. This was like choosing teams in sports, totally discriminating and humiliating. Luckily I was fairly popular back then, so was never last, but this wasn't sports and nobody knew me now. My grumpiness from before returned, I glanced away from Professor Oak, I was learning to hate professors.

"Okay now Pict Laurence, you are up first."

Huh, so that was why Dylan hated him. He was top of his class.

The three girls started preening, the other egg boy looked disinterested and kept sneaking glances at the girl volunteer, and Matt started vibrating. This was so despicable, making someone choose when they didn't even know the other person's name. Pict looked each of them in the eye. I snorted, choking back a laugh, he was acting like he had to choose the best horse in the meager herd.

My snort made him glance at me. I quickly looked away; I so did not want a valedictorian as my companion. He probably was highly motivated and wanted to go all the way to the top as quickly as possible.

"You."

I looked up, knowing what I was going to see. I was right. Pict Laurence was pointing at me. The three girls sighed and surprisingly so did the volunteer girl. Huh, maybe I have something going for me. But thinking of their choices, I glanced at the others, maybe I am the least pathetic of a very weird bunch. Wahoo, go self esteem go.

I walked over to Pict and shifted Eggo into my left arm. "Hi name's Abel Fletcher, nice to meet you." I held out my hand.

He shook my hand firmly, "Pict Laurence. Pleasure," his voice was flat and unenthusiastic.

We were going to be best pals, I knew it.

* * *

An hour later I was pouting outside a shop that sold medical supplies for pokemon. I had tried to tell Pict that I already had tons of junk, but he didn't listen. Actually he hasn't said even two words since we introduced ourselves. If this was going to be our relationship for the next few months I think I might go crazy. I had prayed for a quiet travel partner, but got a mute one instead.

As I was busy pondering what I had done to induce such bad Karma unto me, Pict came out with a huge grocery bag. He glanced at me then nodded towards a coffee shop across the street. I blinked, that looked like a social invitation.

After we ordered our drinks we sat down outside in a grassy lot beside the shop. The morning rush made the coffee house very crowded. Luckily it was a beautiful day.

"If we are going to be stuck together for a while, I need to know some things about you." I started. We need the basics down or else this could turn into a nightmare.

"One: What is your Pokemon and what is your purpose for going on this journey? Two: How far do you want to take it? Three: Is there anything that I need to know that is important, like are you afraid of the dark or something? And four: Why did you pick me?" hopefully the answers would require a minimum of one word each, so he might actually say four words to me.

He glanced at me without emotion, "I have a Sandshrew. I took the elemental challenge. My elements are ground and dragon. I am aiming for the championship. There is nothing vital that you need to know about me. Just make sure that you don't slow me down."

Okay I got an antisocial emo boy as my travel companion. Just great.

I nodded, there were two ways I could go about this. One way was the classic way of all stories; the amazing hero teams up with the emotionally damaged sidekick and manages to break his barriers and they become best friends and rivals. Or two, I could just let it drop. I was leaning towards option two. I didn't want to form a lifelong friendship with a guy who might end up as a celebrity. Also it seemed like too much work. I was already pushing my motivation to its limits with my egg quest, I didn't want to become a therapist as well.

I stretched, "Fine with me. As soon as Eggo has grown up enough I will get out of ya hair. For now what is the game plan. At the moment my priorities are keepen Eggo in the sun and warm. So I don't care where we go or whatever. I am also a good cook, so if you tell me what you like I can try to make it. Also are we walking every where? There is the option of hitchhiking or taking the bus." I thought wistfully of my brilliant idea this morning. I didn't think he would go for it.

"We are walking. That is the best way for pokemon to gain experience. First we are walking to Viridian City, there is something there I need to pick up." He stood up, " If we are lucky we should be able to make it by tomorrow morning."

I groaned in my head. Viridian City was over 20 miles away. My boots were going to rub my feet raw by then. But to Pict I nodded my head, "Sure thing. Are we camping outside?"

He nodded.

I took that as my cue to stand up and stretch. I hoisted my bag up and wrapped my arms around Eggo. I'm as ready as I'll ever be. My thoughts flew to my mother who was probably just falling asleep. I hoped she would be okay without me.

Pict and I weaved through the bustle of the city to reach the outskirts. There was a sign pointing towards a dirt path going out of the city.

"Route 1"

This was the historical route that all trainers began on throughout the ages. Surprisingly I felt a flutter of excitement; I was leaving home to begin a new way of life. I glanced at Pict, but he seemed as unaffected as usual.

Well the only way onwards is straight ahead. Or slightly to the right, depending on where you are standing… but you get my point. With that thought in mind Pict and I started down the road.


	3. Chapter 3

_I just wanted to warn you that there will be randomness and drifting of the plot because I have no idea where this is going yet. I just wanted to write about cliché characters and do a classic story. My other story, when I get around to it will be much deeper than this one, but I hope this one is still semi enjoyable. Thanks!_

* * *

Chapter 3: Camping Out

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My lungs are filled with the clean and pure air, a welcome change from the thick hazy air of the outside world. I am alone with only my thoughts and emotions to keep me company. The summer breeze, warm upon my face is filled with the sweet smell of the tall billowing grass.

Soft green hills surround me. I am not certain where they begin or where they end. Far into the distance I can see another farmhouse. Only an occasional windmill disrupts the scenery.

Clusters of bright yellow sunflowers are growing amidst the green prairie grass. I pick a sunflower and take pleasure in its sweet fragrance. I pull each soft petal off and toss it into the wind. Puffs of white cotton from a cottonwood tree float slowly past me.

As I walk, the thick blades of green prairie grass tickle my legs. Huge brown grasshoppers jump left and right to escape my path. Except for the occasional chirping of a pidgey, it is so quiet I feel as though the world exists only here and I am the only person allowed to witness this beautiful portrait of nature.  
Minutes turn into hours and the sun begins to sink below the horizon. The sky is splashed with yellow, gold and orange. Crickets begin to sing their evening song and all was at peace….

Yeah right.

We have been walking briskly for hours with nary a sign of another pokemon let alone a human. I am pretty sure my feet were bleeding and I was starving. We had probably said a total of two sentences to each other and I was starting to go slightly mad. And that was not good; they don't let insane people into medical school, or at least overtly insane ones.

"Hey Pict. I need to stop and eat. Why don't we find a spot and I could cook us some food and you can let your pokemon out for a bit to exercise it or whatever."

Pict, who was walking quite a ways ahead of me turned while still walking, "I need to get to Viridian City. That is priority now, quit whining, we are barely half way there and it's getting dark." He continued striding along the paved path like a drill sergeant. Bet he had no friends. Loser.

I shifted Eggo in my arms, they were aching too. "Well I am resting for a few minutes. " I glanced around the path and saw a cluster of trees not too far away. As good a place as any to rest in some shade. Rhys either didn't hear me or ignored me, for he kept up his brisk pace. I don't get why he was so anal about getting to the city by tomorrow morning. We had probably walked about 12 miles today and made good time, bedding down now and waking up early to do the remaining half seemed far more logical. With the way he was going, it almost seemed like he was planning to walk all night. Well my code of minimum effort protested that. And my feet hurt like hell.

Walking over to the patch of trees, I examined the area, making sure I didn't encounter any unwelcome visitors. It looked like I was camping out alone tonight, which completely defeated the purpose of having Pict but oh well. There should only be city pokemon around here anyways, Rattata and pidgy. It was too close to humans for many other pokemon.

Setting Eggo down in what was left of the setting sun, I started to take out my sleeping bag and food. It took me about half an hour to build a decent camp and get the food started. Thank god for wilderness training, a pre req for the pokemon journeys. I had picked a good spot, I could see the path but it was concealed enough that passing people wouldn't see me easily. Truth be told I was more worried about human predators than pokemon at this point.

Finally settling down to rest, I decided to take a good look at the Pokedex. It would probably be a good idea to research as much on Bulbasaur care as possible. I opened up the dex and the screen lit up. Several categories popped up, **Pokemon; License; Qualifications; GPS Coordinates; Travel Guide.** All good to know, but right now I was too tired to look at all the categories. I clicked on **Pokemon.** More categories popped up but I quickly scrolled down to **Bulbasaur**. There was tons of info but I focused on the care instructions. Looks like caring for the egg was incredibly simple, it just needed 8-12 hours of direct sunlight and to not be exposed to extreme cold. Simple. The gestation period would be a pain in the butt though. Two months, which compared to most Pokemon I know is very short, but still that was two months of waiting. Maybe doing the Master Journey was a better idea….

Shutting down the dex I glanced around me again. I was sitting on a log next to my fire which was cooking my stew. I made enough for two, but I didn't see Pict anywhere. Looks like he ditched me. Ass…

I began ladling out my portion and placed Eggo in my sleeping bag for the night. The sun was barely above the horizon, looks like the day was pretty much over and still no sign of Pict. I was a big boy though, so I felt pretty confident. After I finished my meal and put the leftovers in a mini fridge tub that regulated the temperature of its contents, I decided to get to sleep so I could wake up early for the continuation of the trek. I totally planned to hitchhike; what was the point of me walking by myself when I had no pokemon that needed the experience?

I stood up, and almost collapsed. # %^$#! My feet hurt like a Mofo! Plopping back down I started to slowly remove my boots. Even in the flickering light of the fire I could tell it was bad. My skin of my heel and pad literally peeled away from my sock. Blood dribbled down my toes and dripped to the ground. All of a sudden it started to burn like hell. Wounds always hurt more once you see them. I stared at my feet in dazed shock; that was not good. I had to walk at least 8 miles to the nearest hospital, and then what? Pict was definitely going to ditch me for good then, and that would severely limit my chances of completing this stupid egg quest. And it bloody hurt.

Snapping myself out of these useless thought I immediately started rooting around for my First Aid box in my backpack. Good thing my mum was a midwife/nurse. She taught me the basics. I finished wrapping one foot and was about to start on another when I heard a rustle in the bushes by the path.

Looks like Pict finally decided to come back for me. I glanced up like a guilty child swinging my feet out of view. I was going to have to smooth talk my way around this one.

The rustling grew louder and impatient for the inevitable, I called, "Pict hurry up man, I am by the giant tree to your left." The rustling stopped for a moment, but instead of calling back that he had heard, he just turned in my direction and came towards me. Typical, I didn't know if he was pissed or just his usual antisocial self. Finally there was just one bush between me and Pict, I stayed seated in my spot rehearsing ways to persuade him to help me out until we got to Viridian when he finally crossed the final barrier.

It was not Pict.

What stood in the flickering firelight standing at five feet in height, was a scyther.

I blinked. Pict didn't own a scyther, and they were not wild to these parts, so it must be someone else's pokemon. I had actually never seen a real syther before, so I swung towards it curious. This one was a very dark green, making it look almost black in this lighting. It stood on its hind legs, slightly crouched always looking ready to pounce. The wings on its back twitched creating a dry rustling sound, like dried leaves and both of its scythes caught the firelight. Probably one of the most powerful bug pokemon, it was beautiful creature, but very few trainers manage to successfully raise one, due to its unpredictability. However once it likes a trainer it will be loyal to the end.

My attention finally came to its head. It was looking right at me with its head cocked. I wonder where its person was? I saw its nose flair and I froze. In the reality show with Ketchem in it, they portrayed scyther as a creature that goes mad at the color red. That is complete nonsense. What drives a scyther insane was the sight and/or smell of blood. It brings out its predator instincts to kill. This could be a potentially dangerous situation.

Slowly I swung my feet on the opposite side of the log. "Hey big fella, there's nothing to see here. And there is a nice hot fire right over here that you don't want to mess with…" With a stick I poked the dying fire. It flared back to life. The scyther took a step back, but didn't leave. My heart started to beat in my throat, "This is not going to turn out for either of us if you don't back down."

The scyther's eyes met mine, and I could see its intelligence reflected in its black pools. It made a hissing rattling noise and stepped sideways putting it right at my unprotected back. I twisted, trying to maintain visual and keep my feet hidden. What the hell should I do?! Scythers have been known to kill people easily, especially if the person was previously wounded.

As I twisted, the pokemon again sidestepped. Again I turned and again it stepped. We did this slow dance for a few minutes. Each second my breathing sped up and my heart raced faster. I couldn't yell, my voice wasn't working anymore. I knew from its eyes it was seeing me as dinner, and I had no idea how to stop it. It was faster than me even if my feet weren't trashed and I couldn't out climb it. It could jump over 7 feet from a stand still. My mind raced. The fire was my only chance, but this pokemon was obviously used to flames. I grabbed a lit stick and swished it around. The pokemon snorted. Yeah I certainty felt silly, a predator snorting at its prey. Fear shot through my body like a lightning bolt, electrifying nerve endings from my scalp down to my toes. My brain seemed to buzz. I stood up, I didn't feel my feet at all. I turned to run. One step, and I realized the scyther had crouched and was preparing to pounce. Pivoting on one foot, I turned again, and took a step back toward the poised pokemon. It froze in its tracks, just 15 feet away. We stared at each other for a half-second. It wasn't backing away, but remained clearly intent on my next move. I didn't know what to do: Should I back away slowly, or should I behave more aggressively — try to convince the pokemon that I posed a greater threat?

Before I could make that decision it leapt. I scrambled to the side, trying to stay close to the fire, but when the scyther landed, it landed directly IN the fire, scattering it all over my camp. I screeched to a halt, trying to make my stupid feet move to turn another direction when I saw a blade coming down towards

* * *

When my eyes opened again I was on my back 20 feet away. I staggered to my feet, the whole world fading in and out of focus. Where was the bug? I glanced around quickly, it wasn't anywhere in sight. The light of the fire blinded me.

Wait a moment….

The fire was almost dead when I last saw it. My eyes finally focused on the scene in front of me. My camp was on fire. The flames burned deep red and amber, almost livid purple and they were growing. My brain finally caught up I scrambled towards my things. To survive I needed that stuff. I threw everything that wasn't burning into my backpack and grabbed Eggo who luckily seemed to be fine. Limping heavily I trudged out of the forest towards the path. I was almost there when I heard it. The scraping crunching sound of dried leaves.

I twisted to the left, right as a heavy force slammed into me. I cried out and flew head over heels. Scrambling to my feet yet again I faced my nemesis. It crouched again and I lifted a rock in my hands in desperation. I could feel the heat from the fire now; it was growing rapidly, almost consuming the patch of forest. I was going to die. Burned or sliced, take your pick.

The Scyther leaped, and bracing myself I tried to duck under it. Just before it hit me I closed my eyes. My grand plans for the future ending even before arriving at the first town…

It was the scream that made me jerk my head up and open my eyes. The syther was on its back with a huge mass on top of it. Blinking it took me a moment to recognize it as a Houndoom, a scary canine pokemon. The hondoom had the mantis pokemon by its neck and with a savage _crunch_ the bug pokemon fell still. I started shaking, was I next?

"Heeeey! Kid! Are you alrigh'!?" I turned and saw two people dashing from the path towards me. "J'sus! We need to put ou that fire! Hey kid, you nee' a doc? You don' look so good." I looked down at myself and suddenly realized my side was wet. I touched it and rubbed my fingers together. More blood. Great, just great. I watched the two people approach me and slowly the world started to grow darker and darker…


	4. Chapter 4

_Don't own anything, and I am not a doctor . This is all imagination so I have no idea if this is even possible, I just liked the drama hah! And sorry for the long wait, I am still super busy! _

Chapter 4

I hear voices but can't understand what is said. There are blurred images of faces peering down at me and moving away then darkness comes again. Consciousness fades in and out. I can't tell if I am dreaming or not. One moment I am running for my life from a psyco bug. The next I feel my body being moved around on a bed and the blurred images and voices are back. I lay there forever and sometimes groaning with every exhalation just to hear something.

Gradually things become clearer and I am a little bit more aware during these periods of consciousness. I am in hospital bed with something wrapped around my neck that prevented me from moving it. My hands are strapped down to the sides of the bed. The bed has a netting surrounding it to keep me from falling out. I see a nurse come in and tried to talk to her. When that happened there was a commotion. I heard someone say he's awake and then others came running in. A doctor asked me if I knew my name. As I tried to answer the voice I heard was high pitched like a child's. It added to my confusion as I wondered whose voice it was.

I knew my first name and after some effort I think I recalled my last name. Then I was left alone and laid there trying to comprehend what was going on. Where was I? How did I get here? What was wrong with me? Why am I tied down? I knew I was in a hospital but that was it. Nurses would come in to change my diapers or check the I.V.'s that seemed to be stuck in every vein I had. They told me I was in Viridian City and that I had been attacked by a syther. I was later told that while in a coma I was cussing and would tear out the tubes and I.V.'s requiring the restraints.

They told me I hit my head after I was attacked and had lost a lot of blood. Two men had apparently saved my life, they were hunting the rouge syther and had come just in time. I listened quietly as they told me about how this syther was captured by a trainer who wasn't in the Master Quest and wasn't a Bug type trainer; how the creature went mad and the trainer wasn't able to handle it and released it and how it finally, betrayed by humans, decided to take it's revenge. Very melodramatic, very exhausting. I fell asleep as they talked.

* * *

I opened my eyes. The only sound was the heart monitor. I glanced around me, no one. I wonder how long I have been here, or if they have told my parents yet. Couldn't have been too long because mum would have come already. I sat up gingerly and almost gagged from the pulling sensation on my side. Flipping off my blankets I saw the bandages wrapped around my upper torso. Oh yeah, I remember the blood…

Propping myself against the pillow, I examined the rest of my body carefully. The terror of something not working properly gripped me. Just really bad looking bruises covered my abdomen and legs. I couldn't see my feet because they were covered in bandages, but they hurt. My head had bandages focused mainly around the back. Touching them made my head throb dangerously and nausea choked me. Brain damage?! Was my head broken? I turned at the sound of footsteps making my head swim again.

"Ah! Mr. Fletcher! I am Dr. Volk." It was a doctor.

"How do you feel?" That is probably the worst question to ask someone who just woke up in a hospital.

"I hurt." No point in beating around the bush.

"Well that is understandable Abel, you just had 49 stitches and a pretty serious concussion. You are a pretty tough fella." The doctor came up and started messing with the machines and started poking me; fussing with the bandages. I winced and tried to avoid him, but he used his doctor ninja skills and thoroughly checked all my bandages. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Got ditched by my escort, scary bug tried to kill me and it got eaten by a hondoom."

"Yup, that's about it," he looked up at me meeting my eyes, "That happened 3 days ago, we contacted your parents and they have been here, right now they are at a hotel and will probably be back up at 8:00 or so."

I nodded, three days. Bet Pict had been and left already. I blinked, Pict… journey… "EGGO!" The doctor jumped and I winced, head protesting the noise, "Where is my egg? It was with me when the 'doom got the syther…"

The doctor turned slightly, "Let's focus on getting your strength back and resting…"

"Waait! Is something wrong with Eggo? Tell me!"

The doctor sighed, "It survived." He turned and pressed a button, "Nurse Gott? Can you bring in Abel Fletcher's egg?"

My heart in my throat, I watched as a nurse came in pushing an incubation cart. I could see the egg through the glass, it looked fine to me. I opened the glass quickly and, just before I sighed in relief, I grabbed Eggo. It felt wrong… The pulsing I had grown so used to wasn't right, on one side there was a cold spot. With trembling fingers I turned the egg. Where the cold spot was, there was a very small crack.

"You found it already? I am sorry. When you fainted, unfortunately it hit a rock, we had our experts look at it, and they said it will never develop normally. They don't know the full extent of the damage, but during such a necessary period of growth that little crack is hugely critical. They said they have done all they could and recommend you take a new egg. This one will probably be terminated, it will probably not live a healthy life if it hatches. No one blames you, there was nothing you could have done all alone." I didn't really hear his words. I stared at Eggo, I had killed my very first pokemon. Finally feeling no pain, I tucked the egg under my arm and curled around it.

"There is nothing that can be done Abel…" I ignored him. He sighed, "We will talk about this later on today, your parents are going to visit soon, so rest well." I listened as they walked out the door.

I don't know how long I laid there, my parents came; mum being very emotional but trying not to worry me and dad being awkward; worried but not knowing how to say it. Looking dimly at my parents, they seemed to be in a better place than when I had left last week. Maybe alone time did them good. I didn't want to talk, and my mum seemed to realize that.

"What is your next step hon? I don't like to see you hurting, but I know you are going to be stubborn about this. You can't leave the hospital for a while anyways, you can use this time to figure that out." My mum left me with that. Both of them had work and I wasn't in the mood to be comforted.

During lunch time I brought Eggo from under the covers. The pulsing was still there, but not as strong or "happy." But the fact that there was still a pulse meant it was still living right? I wasn't about to give up on it for a little crack. I had only had it for a day…ok four days whatever. So it might not be able to do the stupid evaluation thing for the competition, but that didn't mean it had to be abandoned. I cradled the egg gently, amused at my mind flip from a few days ago. Just the other day I was semi-hating the bloody egg and now I wanted to "save it." Probably just guilt, after all I am aware of how I have a very self-absorbed personality. I am not one to do things deemed impossible, or to put my all into something. I just feel guilt, and maybe I miss the stupid egg's warmth.

* * *

Two days pass and after long naps and fighting off the people wanting to take Eggo away, I spent more time thinking. Now instead of guilt, anger flowed through me. Pict was a complete jackass for leaving me, and well maybe it was technically me who left, but he still was the one responsible for my wellbeing until I had a pokemon of my own that was able to fight. Evil thoughts churned through my mind, I wonder if I could voodoo hex him or something? Make him bald or have warts. Or have irremovable clown face paint…. He was emo enough to pull off the sad clown act. Maybe I should raise a ghost pokemon muahahahaha….

And as if my thoughts conjured him, a shadow fell over me, "What's so funny?"

It was him, to my disbelief. That asshole! How dare he show his face to me! Or avoid me! Or even exist in the same realm as me! I glared at him, "Planning your immediate humiliation in the eyes of the world."

"Oh, well as long as you don't do clowns. They freak me out."

I blinked at him. That almost sounded like a joke, even though it was said in a monotone. Pict himself didn't look very good. He smelled and was filthy. There were dark bags under his eyes and he had this slump to his shoulders that I didn't think was possible from the arrogant twit. I wondered what happened to him, so I decided to carefully use my fine skills of interrogation and coax an answer out of him.

"Dude, what the hell happened to you?" I got skills.

He blinked at me slowly, "Well I walked 23 miles here, to discover my travel companion abandoned me who knows where, when I arrived to finally meet my sister at the hospital in time for her surgery, I get assaulted by two guys and their hondoom, get the crap beaten out of me and told that my person is _also_ in the hospital and hasn't woken up yet and his egg is broken."

Huh.

Shame I wasn't in a sympathetic mood.

I shifted gently and repositioned myself in a slightly more welcoming manor, with Eggo on my lap, his eyes followed,"Is your egg busted?"

I nodded, "So they tell me, but I can still feel life, so I am not giving up." Pict's eyes warmed very slightly. "Sorry for leaving you behind."

I snorted; he thinks "sorry" is going to cut it? I almost died! But strangely I felt a great deal of my anger drift away. I didn't think those words were in his vocabulary.

"How long will you be in here?"

"Why? You going to leave if it is not an answer you like?" God I sound bitchy.

"No, I made a promise to stick with you until you can defend yourself. I keep my promises. I was just wondering if I could shack up in the Pokemon Center or if I have to book a hotel." Centers only allow a week's stay per group free. Any longer and you have to pay an outrageous amount.

"I can 'go home' tomorrow. I have to get the stitches out in four weeks." He nodded, "How long until you feel good enough to move?" I swung my feet over the bed and the world swam. There was no way I was doing anything for a few days.

"Can I have a week?"

"Ok, we will stay at the Center for now." And with that he left. Cold bastard.

I remembered he mentioned a sister and surgery, probably not something he will willingly talk about. I tucked myself back in. Just as I got comfy, Dr. Volk came back in.

"I want to talk to you about the situation with your egg."

"It is still alive and will make it through to hatching." Some instinct told me not to give up on this one.

"However our experts tell me it is dead. I can see that this is stressing you out and you really care for it, but we have to be realistic. That egg, even if it does hatch will never be able to function properly. It would be better if you just let it be. You need to move on and plan for the next step you have to take."

These past few days we had been doing exercises to rehabilitate my feet and to slowly move my core. It hurt like hell. But that was not enough to distract me from the issue he posed.

"No, it is my choice. I will deal with the consequences." He sighed and nodded. Then took his thumb and jammed it into the arch of my foot.

"AH!" sonnofa…

This continued for a while until he deemed me finished for the day. Yay free time.

* * *

It was the fifth day of my hospital stay and while still very sore was now more bored than anything else. I had taken to roaming the halls with Eggo in a back baby carrier strapped to my back so the evil staff didn't steal him. Thank God I am planning to go into pharmaceuticals, I decided I would hate working with people like them.

Something strange I noticed was the lack of pokemon in the hospital. When I asked about it they said that it was to stop any airborne diseases to transmit between species. Didn't even know that was possible.

Anyways I was getting really bored with the hospital and I could tell Pict was getting restless. He wanted to start moving on to Pewter City and so did I. The bandages on my feet finally came off and I could now limp steadily. My head still was tender and my sides hurt like a bitch if I twisted wrong but I was good enough. I had just come to this decision and was texting Pict to meet me out front when someone bumped into me making me stumble. After the first initial panic checking to make sure Eggo was ok, I rounded on the girl who was sprawled on the floor. She must have awful balance; she didn't hit me that hard.

"Be careful! What if I had been an old person?"

She was rubbing her bottom and looking up at me pouting. She seemed familiar… Where have I seen her before?

"Hey you are the pretty… I mean the Egg Quester who Pict chose."

Oh yeah she was the girl volunteer.

"Yeah my name's Abel. What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

She got to her feet and brushed herself off. She was dark haired and pretty, with a slightly Latin air to her features. I noticed she had a wrist brace on. "No I just sprained my wrist on the way to this stupid city and had to visit this place. What are you doing here? Is Pict's sister okay?" Again the mention of a sister.

"Yeah he got here in time for her surgery." Curiosity ate me.

"Good, he was really worried. Now that she is fine he can concentrate on pokemon." She smiled and looked around, "So where is he?"

"I was just texting him to pick me up. We are moving on soon. Where is your person?" I couldn't remember who she had picked, and all the faces were a little fuzzy to remember.

"Kimmy is in the waiting room, she was really worried." Ah she chose one of the girls; the dude must've been disappointed. I finished texting Pict and started walking back to my room with what's-her-face following me. "Sorry didn't catch your name."

"Oh it's Jen, nice to meet you." She held out her unhurt hand and grinned. She had dimples. I shook her hand and for some reason she followed me to my room. I started stuffing what little I had into the heavy ass backpack and, after a murderous look at the hiking boots put them on too.

"Um why were you here? I can see your face is all bruised did something happen to you two?" My face had finally stopped swelling, but now it was a very pretty kaleidoscope of colors. Forgot about that. I shrugged on my jacket carefully minding my stitches and exited the door stealthily. Since I neglected to tell the staff about my departure, they might not deem me 'ready' to go out. Apparently the damage to my feet was more extensive than they thought. Most of the flesh on my heel had been rubbed away. But that is what foot pads and drugs are for! Yay for free health care!

"Stuff happened. Found out that the world can be a bitch, the usual stuff."

"Hmmm not really answering the question, but whatever. The exit is this way." I followed her to the waiting room where I saw another familiar girl jump up. She was carrying an egg I'm guessing that was Kimmy.

I let them do their little girl bonding thing and looked around for Pict. He said he was on his way. After waiting for a minute a familiar figure walked through the hospital entrance. I waved awkwardly and he headed towards us.

"Pict! How are you? Fancy meeting you and your person." It is funny that sounds like I belong to Pict or something. Arf.

Pict nodded to Jen and to my astonishment gave a half smile, "Hey." He still needed to work on the communication part. Jen didn't seem to mind though, or was just used to it. She started to introduce Kimmy to him. While it was amusing watching a blushing stuttering girl talk to a emotionless rock, I was anxious to get out of here. So I let my thought be known.

"Can we head out now? Eggo needs his sun." I held up my egg. Pict nodded and again to my astonishment asked, "You sure you okay? You look like shit."

"Gee thanks. Feel so much better. And yeah I'm fine, need to go slow though." Kinda worried about that part, I remember how driven he was to get to this city in a day. But Pict nodded , "Will give me time to train."

This might actually work out. We headed out of the hospital and I got my first look around the so called 'city.' The city was very small indeed; it held only one supermarket and very few office buildings rose more than two stories. The houses were intermixed among the city, with a few small neighborhoods branching off on the outskirts. From what I knew from my studies, Viridian City really only had one reason for existence; Samuel Oak II, one of the highest authorities on Pokémon and a genius Pokémon Biologist, specializing in Pokémon behavior the father of the professor who gave us the egg. He was also the genius pokemon gym leader who was almost unbeatable. To defeat him, you had to train for several years.

Not to my surprise the two girls followed us as we headed back to the Center to collect Pict's stuff. After not seeing any pokemon for a week seeing the abundance walking around made me slightly relieved. How could people live without pokemon?

The Center was crowded with pokemon and humans. I followed Pict closely as he maneuvered the war zone to the back of the building. I leaned against the wall as I watched him shove the last of his stuff into a black hiking bag. We had lost the girls or they had ditched us. I sighed and stretched, "Are we ok? I mean yeah you ditched me but I think I kinda understand why, but are we gonna have an issue? Eggo isn't going to pass inspection. I think it's gonna be a handicap bulbasaur, so we will have to stay together until my second egg hatches. You okay with that, cuz I don't want drama or emo-ness or whatever."

Without looking up Pict said, "Yeah, I got it. I'm fine with that, it was mostly my fault for being single minded. I don't like failing at stuff, so I will deal with it." Gave me warm fuzzys right there, but that was good enough.

Throwing the bag over his shoulder, he glanced at me, "You coming? Don't fall behind or I will have to put a leash on you." I stood there stunned. OMG he actually made a joke! Wait that was a joke right?!


End file.
